What the census tells us about state economies

An updated study by Americans for Tax Reform compared states gaining and losing Congressional seats in the decennial reapportionment process and found that states gaining seats had significantly lower taxes, less government spending, and were more likely to have “Right to Work” laws in place.

 

The average top personal income tax rate among gainers is 116 percent lower than among losers. The total state and local tax burden is nearly one-third lower, as is per capita government spending. In eight of ten losers, workers can be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. In 7 of the 8 gainers, workers are given a choice whether to join or contribute financially to a union. 

 

	Average Top Personal Income Tax Rate	Per Capita State and Local Tax Burden	Per Capita Government Spending	Percentage Right to Work States
Reapportionment Gainers	2.8 percent	$3,519	$4,008	87.5 percent
Reapportionment Losers	6.05 percent	$4,534	$5,117	20 percent
Difference	116 percent	$1,015	$1,109	67.5 percent